An interpretation of Chinese Communist policy on the Vietnam war according to Lin Piao's article of 3 September 1965, 'Long live the victory of people's war.' The article reveals that Peking, since U.S. intervention in Vietnam, has come to the following conclusions: (1) that the Viet Cong should treat the war as a full-fledged national war of resistance against U.S. imperialist invasion; (2) that they should substitute a united front strategy, abandon mobile warfare, and go over to strategic defense; and (3) that they should primarily rely on their own resources and revolutionary spirit. The authors find that Peking feels the successful outcome of the war will ultimately turn on the global defeat of the U.S.; that the United States intends to turn South Vietnam into a colony; and that it is preferable to wage a war against the U.S. by proxy of the Vietnamese nation than by a direct confrontation. (Author).

Lin is a very important figure on the Chinese political scene not only because of his role in the events of the last year but also because of his innate political strength, his background, and his recent experiences and responsibilities. Yet we know very little about the man. He rarely appears in public. He is said to be chronically ill. His personality draws a near blank for the Western expert on China. It is true that his biography and chronology are fairly well known, but even here there are large empty spaces. His writings are very few in comparison to such other Chinese Communist leaders as Mao and Liu Shao-ch'i and even those examples that we have are mostly administrative orders issued under his name or general propaganda statements with little unique content.